What’s at stake

With the Panthers 2-5 and the Vikings 1-6, it would appear nothing is at stake. And from a 2011 season standpoint, that’s mostly true.

The Panthers have been in every game and believe like they are in a stretch of winnable games that, if they deliver, could get him into playoff contention. That’s a reach borne of the team’s solid play. They are probably the most entertaining 2-5 team in history, but 2-5 teams rarely make the playoffs. The Vikings, too, are better than 1-6, but their playoff hopes are more non-existent than Carolina’s.

Still, this game is worth watching for rookie QBs Christian Ponder (Vikings) and Cam Newton (Panthers). Newton has proved himself. Watch him to see what amazing thing he does next.

Ponder has not played nearly as much as Newton, nor does he have Newton’s athleticism. Even after this game it will still be too early to make any broad judgments about him. But how he plays against a weak Panthers defense will be important. This should be a much easier test for him than was last week’s game against the Green Bay Packers, in which he was 13-of-32 passing for 219 yards, with two TDs and two interceptions.

Key matchup

Adrian Peterson vs. the Panthers defensive line. The Panthers are 29th in run defense and give up 133.4 yards per game. Peterson is the NFL's best running back; he leads the league in yards per game at 101.7. He wears defenses down, which gives the Vikings a huge advantage considering Carolina’s lack of depth.

The Panthers’ linebacker corps is depleted by injuries and their secondary is depleted by lack of talent. If Peterson routinely gets through the line with a head of steam, he’ll run for so many yards it won’t matter how Ponder plays.

X-factor

Both teams have had trouble finishing games. The Panthers could just as easily be 5-2 as 2-5, and the Vikings have blown four halftime leads. There are myriad reasons that both teams have struggled late in games, from untimely turnovers to (allegedly) unconditioned quarterbacks to inexperience.

Given that Newton has played in seven such games and Ponder just one, and that the game is in Carolina, the edge goes to the Panthers, albeit barely.